PSU Social Innovation Incubator adds members
Author: David Santen, Office of University Communications, Portland State University
Posted: January 20, 2012

(Portland, Ore.) January 20, 2012 — The Social Innovation Incubator (SII) at Portland State University’s School of Business Administration has added six new members.

Five of the ventures have been accepted to the SII’s 6-month Circuit Program, a mentoring program in which diverse entrepreneurs meet monthly as a group. EcoZoom, a clean cookstove distributor, has been accepted to the Vector Program, the SII’s one-on-one consulting program. All members receive mentoring, business and pitch coaching, and access to potential advisors and investors while connecting with like-minded peers.

PSU’s Social Innovation Incubator works with ventures that address social and environmental problems through business models. Of the ten that it has worked with since 2010, six have attracted external funding from investors, donors or awards. Although most new members are still in early stages of development, the SII also offers incubation to established organizations launching new initiatives.

“Our ultimate goal is to remedy problems in society as quickly as possible,” says Cindy Cooper, Social Innovation Incubator founder and director. “When you are dealing with hunger, poverty, pollution and other major social ills, time is of the essence. We work with social innovators to create stronger, higher impact business models and bring them to scale more quickly.”

New members, Social Innovation Incubator, 2012:
• Bright Neighbor: Online sustainability platform that enables and rewards offline peer-to-peer borrowing and renting.
• Cascadia Experience: Leadership, sustainability and conservation training for professionals through hands-on outdoor projects.
• EcoZoom: Certified B Corp making cooking safer for people and the planet by designing, manufacturing and distributing high-efficiency cookstoves all over the globe.
• Elkarti: Handcrafted, leather fashion accessories to create employment in Morocco, with a portion of proceeds donated to Moroccan orphans.
• Junk to Funk: Uses avant-garde “trashion” (trash fashion) as art for social change to transform how people think about waste.
• Meditation Momma: Taking the mystery out of meditation and making it an accessible alternative, without the harmful side effects of medication, to the stresses that dominate modern culture.

About the Social Innovation Incubator
A program of Impact Entrepreneurs in Portland State University’s School of Business Administration, the Social Innovation Incubator catalyzes economic, social and environmental prosperity through entrepreneurial action. The SII works in partnership with PSU’s Center for Global Leadership in Sustainability, Institute for Sustainable Solutions, Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, and the Portland State Business Accelerator.

For more information, visit www.sba.pdx.edu/sii or contact Cindy Cooper (cynthia.cooper@pdx.edu).

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News Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (#12-009)

By:
David Santen, Office of University Communications
Portland State University
santend@pdx.edu | 503-725-8765

http://pdx.edu/bao/news/psu-social-innovation-incubator-adds-members

http://www.businessinportland.org/local-news/portland-business-journal/startups-join-psu-social-incubator/

http://www.sustainablebusinessoregon.com/articles/2012/01/psu-social-innovation-incubator-adds.html

http://www.bizjournals.com/portland/news/2012/01/20/startups-join-psu-social-incubator.html

http://www.buzzbox.com/news/2012-01-20/psu:portland-state-university/?clusterId=8046181

Bright Neighbor CEO Arnold Strong was interviewed by The Oregonian at the premiere of “The Quixote Club,” a one-act written by Iraq veteran Sean Davis, 38, of Portland.

“I’m super proud of these guys,” said Arnold Strong, himself a lieutenant colonel in the Army Reserve, CEO of Portland social media startup Bright Neighbor, and a board member in A Rock or Something . “I’m so impressed by what they’ve achieved in their own reintegration.”

Bright Neighbor sponsor Dave’s Killer Bread’s family brand has just released a new documentary showcasing how to relocalize industry and build community while creating a healthy economy. Literally! NatureBake’s Oregon Grains is now the leading sustainable model for locally growing and processing bread.

In 2009 NatureBake’s then vice president (now CEO) Shobi Dahl read a Portland food blog post about the 100-mile diet. The idea behind the 100-mile diet is to support local agriculture by only eating foods that are sourced within 100 miles of your home.

Shobi took a calculated risk and began a journey to partner with Willamette Valley farmers and reduce the carbon footprint of an average loaf of bread. After intensive research and exploration seeking local grain supply channels, Shobi discovered Willamette Seed and Grain. WSG is a coalition of farmers form the Willamette Valley formed with the purpose of growing, processing and marketing grain, seeds and beans grown in the valley.

Shobi struck a deal with these Oregon farmers to grow flax, wheat, and oats for “Oregon Grains” while having Bob’s Red Mill Natural Foods perform the milling.Oregon Grains is delicious, nutritious, and creates a model for feeding the Pacific Northwest.

Bright Neighbor is proud to be associated with this company and their organic, local vision.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

MEDIA CONTACTS:
Arnold Strong
arnold@brightneighbor.com
503-428-0579

This Holiday Season Portlanders Can Swap “Regifted” Items Online
Swapping Stuff With Neighbors Helps Build Community Bonds That Last Beyond The Holidays

Portland, Ore., December 16, 2011 – Portland social media company Bright Neighbor, LLC. has a simple vision this holiday season: to take ‘regifting’ to new levels by encouraging neighbors to swap items as a way to build block-by-block camaraderie.

In 2007, Bright Neighbor pioneered the online sharing economy by launching a neighbor-to-neighbor social media site designed to lower living costs while increasing sustainability.

“Regifting helps circulate useful items among a community and it’s a great way to start building connections with your neighbors,” says Arnold Strong, Bright Neighbor’s CEO. “It can get new relationships started between people living close to one another that flourish beyond the holidays.”

Bright Neighbor has over five thousand users across all ninety-five Portland neighborhoods, and over the past several years has pioneered multiple projects to build hyper-local community, including neighborhood fruit tree pruning and grafting. The company has inspired other startups to launch sharing-memed social media sites, and plans to launch a new version of the website in 2012.

“We built our system to help people thrive in a hard economy,” says Randy White, Bright Neighbor’s Founder. “People are looking to save money, and they are staying home more. Along with that comes the desire to expand their social circle where they live, and we make that easier than Facebook.”

The Portland Bright Neighbor website includes the ability for community members to list events free of charge, and encourages users to both swap online and get out in the real world to meet their neighbors. Portlanders wishing to add items they are seeking to regift simply login at www.portland.brightneighbor.com, and add their items with they keyword “regift” in the description. They can then search for matching goods for trade close by. The company is betting that this season will see increased swapping among neighbors as a way to inject cheer into a tough economy. “What makes us feel great is when people get together offline for swapping events and can bond over additional interests they may have, leading to friendships at the local level,” says Strong. “The best way to improve our economy is to find out how we can help one another since everyone has something of value they can offer.”

About Bright Neighbor, LLC.
Bright Neighbor is a sharing economy marketplace that enables the scaling up of the long standing American tradition of thrift. The company is headquartered in Portland, Oregon, and has multiple deployments of its technology system deployed in cities and with private customers including Portland General Electric. The company works to foster local trade, barter, and resource sharing to increase community sustainability while decreasing human impacts to the planet.

To learn more about Bright Neighbor, LLC, see www.brightneighbor.com. To join the Portland Bright Neighbor network, see: www.portland.brightneighbor.com.

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Bright Neighbor is teaming up with Occupy Wall Street (OWS) Portland to continue the democratic process of people powered change. Since 2007, Bright Neighbor has been the leading system helping develop and prove social value in the sharing economy. We have provided Portlanders a free community logistics and economics platform to trade, make, grow, gather, borrow, lend, use what you have, or find who/what you need. Our focus is on ensuring the continuity of local prosperity in the face of dismantling outdated economic models.

Thousands of Portlanders have used Bright Neighbor to meet other locals through location, interests, events, classes, and resource sharing. This Friday, Occupy Portland organizers will be leading a march to bring attention to Occupy Portland is the 99%. The 99% that are choosing to occupy are doing so for many reasons, including the financial stability to do so. Some are occupying because they have no where else to go. We are all the 99%. Through the generosity of Occupy Portland supporters we have been able to feed and shelter many of those most affected by greed. Occupy Portland, with increased media coverage, has been able to bring forth to the light the severe lack of funds and care available to those most vulnerable in our society.

This Friday at 11:30 AM, you can show your support and solidarity for the unhoused and marginalized by coming out to march with Occupy Portland.

The march begins at Lownsdale Square in front of the memorial statue. It makes a pit-stop at Pioneer Square at noon for a rally, and from there the march continues through the Pearl District and returns to Occupy Portland Base Camp. We encourage all who wish to express their voice on the effects of poverty to come and be heard.

We hope to see you Friday, Oct. 21 at 11:30 AM

When people start conversations, either online or offline, about realizing we are on our own at local levels, it makes us at Bright Neighbor Happy. This community understands the Bright Neighbor model based on enthusiasm, science, and activism, and discusses one of our videos. Thank you for your support!

Earth’s ability to sustain so many humans is becoming apparent more and more every day. This is not a debate, and it is not funny. Real lives are being lost, and will continue to be lost in this epic struggle for survival. Bright Neighbor strategies and tactics are one of the solutions being implemented to mitigate the suffering caused by economic and ecological contraction.

From PostCarbon.org:

See the entire article here.

Thank you Bibi Farber of NextWorldTV for your writeup about Bright Neighbor.

Community Mobilizing Made Easy Online

Bright Neighbor is a brilliant initiative designed to bring people together to share resources, grow food and foster strong communities.

It’s simple: software that helps you find neighbors with similar interests and commitment to sustainability initiatives like growing food, composting, creating barter circles.

They are very grounded in the real world as well as the online dimension, organizing community events where they are based in Portland, OR. For example, the group helps manage the planting, tracking, and long-term survival of fruit and nut trees in their communities.

For the entire world, they offer online software to help people share belongings, equipment and skills, building neighborhood and block-by-block barter networks, coordinate ride share programs, spaces and events, seed swaps and more.

See founder Randy White’s infectious enthusiasm at work here as he embarks on a bike tour through his neighborhood, mobilizing the community and raising awareness about permaculture.

Portland Mayor Sam Adams calls Bright Neighbor an important city partner, and founder Randy White calls it a training program for communities.

Talk about vision! Very Nextworld!

-Bibi Farber

The Bright Neighbor TED talk begins at about 3:25 in this video.

Watch live video from TEDxSoMa on Justin.tv

Randy White will be presenting “Plan B: Citizen Back Up Plans For US Debt Default” at TEDxSoMa in San Francisco on June 18. TEDxSoMa seeks bring the TED experience to a local level, bringing together innovative ideas and concepts through TEDtalks and inspiring speakers. TEDxSoMa is organized by members of the pariSoma Innovation Loft whose core beliefs are community, collaboration, innovation, openness, and sustainability. This TED event is hosted by the pariSoma Innovation Loft in its beautiful space, located in the SoMa district of San Francisco.

Recently, Facebook Local Director Emily White made a presentation about reaching Hyper-local markets, further explaining concepts pioneered by Bright Neighbor.

It will be interesting to see the ways Facebook helps develop sustainability contexts in similar fashion as we enter even more volatile economic and ecological waters.

Randy White delivered a sustainability progress report to Bright Neighbor client Portland General Electric on April 13th. The report detailed the ways PGE is moving forward with their sustainability initiatives, helping pioneer climate change initiatives such as fruit tree pruning / grafting / planting / tracking. Multiple vermicomposting leaders has been identified to lead soil building efforts at employee homes and there is discussion of a possible on-site vermicomposting station at the company headquarters. Sustainability enthusias continues to grow for the employees of PGE, both at work and home.

Bright Neighbor has been featured as a leading sustainability social media and brand management company in GOOD magazine. See the entire article here.

Watch episodes of Bright Neighbor TV (filmed on location in Portland) and start mobilizing your community today!

Check out an interview with Randy on KATU-TV AM Northwest.

Free seminar: On Saturday, January 10, at 1 p.m., Randy White will present Secrets To Making A Great Living During The Recession at PSU’s Cramer Hall. If you haven’t already, sign up for a Bright Neighbor account and RSVP!

On Sunday June 1, 2008, Randy White was a featured speaker at the International Conference on Peak Oil and Climate Change. Randy is co-author of Portland, Oregon’s Peak Oil Task Force report, author of the Lawns to Gardens blog, and the founder of Bright Neighbor.

→ Conference press release

On April 16, 2008 Bright Neighbor founder Randy White discussed the Bright Neighborhood platform at the City of Eugene SusCom meeting.

→ Press release: Post Carbon Eugene